The moment he saw the ronin-like figure, the Daimyo's heart gave a slight jolt. Anyone who suddenly appeared here at a time like this was clearly no ordinary person. Since no one had reported his arrival, he must have slipped in secretly, making his identity highly suspicious.
Although the stranger appeared to be dressed as a wandering samurai, the Daimyo suspected he might be a ninja. That uncanny ability to appear out of nowhere was very much their style.
There had been precedents of ninja assassinating nobles, usually at the bidding of an enemy. To counter ninja sent to kill them, nobles not only hired other ninja but also maintained security forces of their own.
After all, ninja could not openly charge up to a noble and attempt an assassination. Once surrounded by samurai, they might not only fail to kill their target but also lose their own lives.
Thus, in more private settings, nobles were protected not only by ninja but also by skilled samurai and temple monks who likewise possessed inherited secret techniques. These men had close ties to the nobility and deep connections to the country, and some trained monks served as the nobles' Guardian Mages.
Now, the Daimyo's samurai guards and monks blocked the stranger's path, ready for battle. All of them had received professional training. Anyone assigned to protect a nation's ruler naturally possessed exceptional strength; in a shinobi village, they would most likely have been rated at jonin level.
They naturally had no fear of an opponent of equal strength. Even if a Kage-level ninja appeared, several jonin-level samurai and Guardian Mages working together could still hold them off for a while. That would give the Daimyo time to escape to safety under the protection of the others and summon the samurai army for